March 22, 2007

'Six Degrees' returns as 'Rome' and 'Battlestar Galactica' sign off

As the network television season heads toward its big finish in May, we’re in the season of “catch it while you can.”

First on the list of shows that might not be around much longer: “Six Degrees.” This ABC relationship drama, which got the boot from Thursdays last fall when it didn’t hold on to enough “Grey’s Anatomy” viewers, returns at 8 p.m. Friday.

It should be around for at least a few weeks, but given that ABC stuck the show on a Friday and that it hasn’t exactly caught fire with the public or the press, despite the newfound tabloid fame of star Bridget Moynahan, I wouldn’t count on this series returning in the fall.

Though I have a soft spot for the show, I can’t say I’ll be campaigning for its return. First of all, as the networks ponder which shows they’ll bring back in the fall, there are programs that are far more worthy of “save this show” campaigns (and I’ll say for the record, “Veronica Mars,” “30 Rock” and “Friday Night Lights” are my picks for on-the-bubble shows that more than deserve another year).

And second of all, though “Six Degrees” has its moments and a generally good cast, it hasn’t satisfyingly gelled to the degree that another ABC new drama, “Brothers and Sisters,” has.

Friday’s episode of “Six Degrees,” which is largely centered around Moynahan’s character, PR exec Whitney, leans a bit too heavily on the contrivance that, as a professional woman, she could not hold back her annoyance with her ex (Jonathan Cake) long enough for a magazine journalist to write a puff piece about her. (And really, would a reporter hang around her office for two days to write a piece about her for a fashion magazine’s “35 powerful women under 35” list? Yeesh. Come on).

And some of the show’s story lines, especially about a man who’s keeping the secret that he shot someone, have turned out to be duds and should have been ditched long ago.

And yet. There are a couple of very good scenes with the terrific Campbell Scott and Hope Davis in Friday’s episode, and overall, there’s an emotional vulnerability about the show that I find sweet. That probably won’t be enough to give the show another season, so catch it while you can.

Also this weekend, there are some significant finales. Warning: If you are a fan of Sci Fi’s “Battlestar Galactica,” be aware that Sunday’s 9 p.m. season-ender will run over its allotted one-hour time slot by three minutes, so adjust your VCRs or DVRs accordingly.

Also know that the finale may just blow your mind. I think it’s the wildest, most surprising season finale yet for this fine series, which is really saying something.

And if you’re scratching your head about the trippy finale on Monday morning, you won’t be alone — come back to this site if you want to discuss it with other fans.

(A geeky side note that doesn’t involve a finale: Sunday’s edition of the supernatural series “Dresden Files” (8 p.m., Sci Fi) features a guest appearance from the always enjoyable Claudia Black of “Farscape” and “Stargate SG-1” fame. And if you want to get caught up on this escapist detective show, there’s a four-episode mini-marathon of “Dresden” starting at 6 p.m. Friday.)

Also Sunday, HBO’s “Rome” finishes its run for good at 8 p.m. Though it had some slow-ish patches in its second season, the actors playing the main characters were uniformly terrific, and as for the amazingly realistic sets depicting every nook and cranny of imperial Rome, well, we may never see their like again on the small screen.

We don’t get many lavish, sexy, richly engrossing historical dramas on TV, and “Rome” was one of the finest. Catch it while you can.

"Six Degrees" had too large a cast and too many subplots.
Then there are only three characters that are really interesting, Scott's, Davis' and Moynahan's.
The rest are blah at best.
Creating a show for a specific time slot and sloppy writing killed this show, plus of course we're all fed up with serialized programs that didn't gel fast enough, like this one.

What's the word on CBS' "The Class?" I know it's been struggling, but it's such a funny show and I really enjoy it. The last episode I saw was listed as "season finale" not "Series finale." Does that mean there's good news for me?

I'm rooting for "30 Rock" and "Veronica Mars" too. 30 Rock has done awesome in its timeslot. I heard rumors of it being moved again which could threaten the show's popularity. Also, there were some big rumors about VM returning or not. I don't like CW for saving "Seventh Heaven" over "Everwood." I hope that they don't do the same for "Veronica Mars" and try and replace it with the "modern day women's empowerment" Pussycat Dolls.

I agree Veronica Mars should be brought back and if not the CW mabye one of the other 4 networks (I think it would be good for Fox or maybe CBS following the Unit since they can't seem to find ANYTHING to solidify their Tuesday night block).

What I'm wondering, hoping PRAYING for is that Studio 60 will get brought back. 30 Rock and Rock on into the sunset as far as I'm concerned. I just do NOT like Tracy Morgan.

Tracy Morgan is awesome in "30 Rock." I think that he found his niche in the show. I hope that it doesn't Rock into the sunset because you'd be missing the awesome performances from Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Jack McBrayer, and Judah Frielander. It's become more of an ensemble show over time. It's worth saving especially for when the Page Kenneth does just about anything especially defend tv as he's cleaning an MSNBC's dressing room where there's pizza on the ceiling.

Hey, Mo. I'm also a big fan of Friday Night Lights. I'm pretty sure that NBC will renew FNL for a second season, but I'm kind of doubting that the series will survive beyond that (unless FNL somehow picks up 2+ million viewers next year).

The only other program that I'm obsessed with this season is Rome. I understand that their episodes were even reduced to only 10 this season because of the extremely HIGH cost(since they film in Italy while employing mostly British actors). HBO has never given a definite amount, but rumors said that their budget was a mind-blowing $100 million dollars (that's like on the level of Lord of the Rings or The Matrix).

You can easily see where all the money is spent on this lavish series: the costumes, the props, the weapons, the sets, etc. I have never seen such amazing cinemetography on the small screen; the lighting is absolutely ethereal in certain scenes (check out the Season 1 DVDs). I can't praise the cast and crew of Rome enough, but I realize that all will come to an end this Sunday.

I hope that the excellent actors from this series get career boosts after their memorable performances in Rome. In addition to Kevin McKidd's pilot on NBC, Ray Stevenson has been cast in a pilot for CBS, 'Babylon Fields'.

"Rome": "a dumbed down version of 'I, Claudius'"? Hardly. There was far more accuracy with respect to detail - and overall history - than that which was based merely on Robert Graves' novel. Both Vorenus and Pullo were nicely placed as kind of "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern" pair, oblique from center and selectively involved with the historical characters and events. They were just right and very much accurately reflective of the kinds of lives Romans lead in Caesar's time.

"Rome" offered the best of both worlds, drama and history, but achieved something beyond its parts: it breathed life into that faraway place and time and informed as it entertained. ("Atia" was simply wonderful, but, then, who wasn't in the cast?) All we got in "I,Claudius" were old hack British Shakespearean actors like Derek Jacobi and Brian Blessed chewing scenery and hamming it up.
(Brian Blessed is always good as Brian Blessed, but he was a terrible Augustus. Only John Hurt as "Caligula" really did something more than Shakespearean schtick.) Yeah, the "I, Claudii" were having fun with what they were doing - and so did we - but HBO's "Rome" was vastly superior. Indeed, it is/was better than any of the modern "sword-and-sandal" extravaganzas including the odious "300": real, not comic book - and not hammy British stage acting. (The actors in "Rome" know to subsume their skills: when somebody said, "bring it down," they did.) "Rome" will indeed be missed. (For the love of Caesar, no more "300"s, please.)

I watched FNL last night on my Tivo and was again moved at how GOOD the writing for this show is, how well-cast the actors are and how they have each developed their own characters so well. I will definitely miss this show if they cancel it.

However, Graves based his novels (there were two, actually) on Suetonius who based his history on the family stories of the surviving Patricians.

And what is the historical basis of "Rome"? It would seem to be the Cliffs Notes for "I, Claudius" and the DVD of the first season of "Dallas."

There is no historical basis for the series' depiction of Atia. It is just John Milius' quota for T&A. The show has recreated this perfectly respectable matron as a homicidal nymphomaniac. Stealing from "I, Claudius", "Rome" has grafted Atia with the morals of Messalina and the politics of Livia.

Other historical characters are equally distorted. Brutus is portrayed as a callow preppie; you almost expect him to wear an Eton tie over his toga. In fact, Brutus was a man in his forties. Cato (the Libertarian pinup) is cast as a grand old man in his 70s; he actually never lived past his forties. As for the show's depiction of the battle of Philippi, even Shakespeare was more accurate.

Although a historical farce, "Rome" does have its sociological value. Scholars and television viewers now know how many British actresses will do gratutious nude scenes. Polly Walker looks especially attractive in these last episodes for a character who actually had been dead for a decade.

So, given the series' indifference to historical accuracy, I am surprised that "Rome" is ending. HBO could extend and improve "Rome" by replacing Augustus with Big Al Swearengen. And Larry David would make a Great Herod.

To Eugene
Suetonius was a gossipy Silver Age Roman who, in many cases, could not separate fact from fiction and was, in any case, deeply interested in gossip. (Did you ever read Tacitus on how hard it was for later Roman historians to get the truth about former emperors? Let me know if you want the reference.) Graves FREELY adapted Suetonius in his two novels, inventing a "secret history" of Claudius and making over even Suetonius. Graves ain't history, Eugene, nor was Suetonius really. (He was writing biography, not history, after all.)
What one gets in "Rome" that one didn't get in "I" is better, more up-to-date archaelogical data figuring into the staging. It seems to subsume the characters, not highlight them. The producers wanted to "de-Hollywoodify" Rome for the viewers, rendering the city, its world and its people into a squalid, slum-ridden place with poverty-stricken people - which archaeology (and some literature) tells us it was. Hardly, the "Cliff's Notes" for "I." That series gave us nothing but Graves after Suetonius after gossip and generous slices of Brit-style ham-acting.
Certainly, the producers have taken liberties. Philippi was not as it was depicted, nor were the deaths of Brutus and Cassius (and much else). To be honest, my biggest beef is with Cicero as waif. He was a corpulent (along the lines of the herald), disagreeable self-promoting jerk whose pomposity and Latin have afflicted students since the Middle Ages. I daresay there are many schoolboys and -girls who envied Antony's deadly detachment come upon the "chickpea" in his palanquin. But the actor who played Cicero, thin as he was, nevertheless brought something to the part (as did the chap who played Brutus). As did all of the characters. (Can't say that for dear old Brian Blessed or Sian Phillips.)
As for Atia and Servilia: no, there isn't any information that they were as they were portrayed (although Servilia was pretty loose). But, in the case of Atia, there isn't any information that she wasn't a prototypical Messalina or Agrippina. More importantly, these characters can certainly represent what upper class women WERE doing in late Republican Rome: bedding every man in sight from the "goaty little" ones to the big political fish. I hardly find these portrayals leagues away from the typical. And this is a television series after all with limitations.
In sum, dear Eugene, "Rome" gives/gave us far more that is/was deep and accurate than Graves. (Graves also wrote a famous book on myth - which fact of course tells us about his valuation of history.)
PS I am surprised in your litany of "should-have-beens" that Brian Blessed as Augustus doesn't appear.

Have I really been served? Someday you may know the difference between Juvenal and juvenile.

To George:

If plagiarism is any measure of esteem, the writers of "Rome" have the highest regard for Suetonius and Robert Graves. Appian and Tacitus lack the salacious "gossip" that HBO wants in its history. But Suetonius still can get the ratings.

When I pointed out the inaccurate depictions of Brutus, Cato the Younger and the battle of Philippi, you didn't disagree. You even added your objection to the portrayal of Cicero. In fact, you only contended that Atia, even without historical evidence, might have been a murderous slut. Of course, if there were any gossip to that effect, wouldn't our friend Suetonius have eagerly mentioned it?

As an admirer of Tacitus and a skeptic of Suetonius, you do know your Roman history. I think that we can agree that the HBO series was a beautifully produced travesty of history. It got the sets and costumes right but little else. You might even agree that "I, Claudius" was more historically accurate; at least, it was based on Roman gossip rather HBO's quota for T&A.

Our only real dispute is whether "I, Claudius" or "Rome" was the more entertaining series. I think that "I, Claudius" was very clever and brilliantly acted. You definitely prefer "Rome." It is a matter of taste, and this is the not right medium to compare the acting abilities of Sian Phillips and Polly Walker. We should invite the readers to see both series, and draw their own conclusions.

Finally, you ask why I didn't suggest Brian Blessed to reprise his role as Augustus. For a sequel, I am more intrigued by Timon's son Yeshua. Now, there is a name with a future.

Wow. I have had a love/hate relationship with Rome, and I had low expectations of the final episdoe after the show spent this season mashing together so many years of history and plot without the actors aging a day (except Octavian, of course). But the show's excellent actors redeemed the show in its final hour. The only actors on television this season who have approached the convincing, compelling, startling performances given last night by James Purefoy (Antony), Lynsdey Marshal (Cleopatra), Polly Walker (Atia), and Simon Woods (Augustus) are . . . well, I can only think of James Callis on Battlestar Galactica and Lindsay Duncan, who died in an earlier episode of Rome. Polly Walker's over-the-top Scarlett-O'Hara-of-the- Roman-Empire never impressed me until the past few episodes as her loss of Antony bled her soul away. Kudos to the writers for her final scene taking Octavian's wife down a peg! James Purefoy has played Antony has a 2-dimensional ass, but the reality of Antony in defeat and his love for Cleopatra was shocking and real. In the confrontation between Cleopatra and Octavian, Woods truly revealed Octavian to be the most heartless, mechanical monster in this show about monstrous people.

And Ray Stevenson rocks as Pullo. Stevenson is one of the most charismatic actors on TV. Stevenson makes the murderous brute so disturbingly likeable!

I have to admire how well the writer's tied up the characters' stories given that they only had an hour in which to fight the battle of Actium, kill off Antony and Cleopatra, and make Octavian Imperator. Octavia's touching appeal to Atia, the mother she has every reason to hate, to keep on fighting was perfect as was her continued frankness with Octavian, not pretending to see him as anything more than the 'clever' monster that he is. Lucius Vorenus's quiet, unemotional death amid his semi-reconciled family was appropriate, and the final scene of Pullo leaving the Emperor Octavian's palace and walking away into the crowded, squalid streets with his son Caesarion ended the series in exactly the right place.

As for comparisons with Graves and I, Claudius, I confess that I have never been able to get through Claudius. Regardless of historical accuracy, Claudius's stilted writing, overly theatrical acting, and low production values just puts it in a much lesser league than Rome.

All in all, I am satisfied with Rome even if I wish they had had another season in which to present the story in a less hurried manner.

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